Aviation Gasoline - Archived Article

Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee Gets Down to Business at Second Meeting

The Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT-ARC) met for the second time on May 17 - 19, 2011, in Washington D.C. As with the first meeting in March, 20 members of the committee from FAA, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), equipment manufacturers, fuel producers, fuel distributors, and owners/operators attended. Key stakeholders from the general aviation and avgas community are using this forum to take the initial steps towards finding alternatives to leaded avgas.

The committee members built upon the results from the first meeting and subsequent discussions, and focused their time refining the key avgas issues and associated tasks intended to address those issues. In support of this effort, the group formulated an underlying conceptual structure around which to organize the issues and tasks. This effort formed the building blocks for the industry-government group that will evolve from this committee.

Before the committee's final recommendations are put forward, a preview of key discussion topics will provide insight into the approach the committee is employing to address this challenging issue. These key discussion topics include:

The formation of an industry-government group and framework that will facilitate, promote, and track the development, qualification, certification, and deployment of candidate unleaded fuels. This group would stimulate and facilitate the overall unleaded avgas transition effort.

The establishment of project gates or readiness levels that can be used to evaluate and track the developmental progress of candidate unleaded fuels from concept through distribution and use.

The establishment of supporting facilities, tools, methods, and procedures that could be implemented to accelerate the development and deployment of unleaded avgas.

The committee also discussed potential legal challenges related to leaded aviation fuel, which highlight the urgency of the committee's task.

During the meeting, there was strong consensus that an extension of the charter end date was needed beyond July 31, 2011. In recognition of the importance of this effort, FAA promptly took action and extended the term of the charter by six months to January 31, 2012. The UAT-ARC will strive to complete its work and issue a recommended plan well before this new date. The FAA appreciates the significant dedication of time and resources by the members of the UAT-ARC to meet their aggressive schedule.

The next meeting is scheduled for mid-July, followed by a public presentation at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI in late July. The FAA will also periodically report on the progress of this committee at this website.